Monday, February 2, 2009

The first thing I noticed about the Massive Black art book is that it's titled Volume 1. It's safe to guess that there's going to be other volumes in the future. That is great because this book is very good.

If you have no idea who or what is Massive Black, here's a short history I found on Ballistic Publishing page:

Founded in 2002 by a group of passionate developers, Massive Black has grown to become a powerhouse of the entertainment industry—particularly in the areas of concept art, illustration, 3D, animation and intellectual property development. During its six-year history, the company has worked on 210 projects, generating a staggering 30,000 pieces of concept art for games, film, television, graphic novels, toys, and advertising.

The book is a paperback edition housed inside a slipcase. There are 192 pages and they are relatively glossy. The binding is great too. This book is a fingerprint magnet, and I left a few when I first held it.

Right at the start is an inspiring company's history. You'll get to read about how they started the company with $6000 to build it to a world class art studio where their art workshops look no different from rock concerts.

Inside the pages contain an impressive portfolio of illustrations and concept art created for too many clients. There are character designs, environment paintings and 3D modelings. The level of technical quality is top notch, of course.

Because the clients are mainly from the movie and gaming industry, most of the art pieces relate to the fantasy and sci-fi genre, oftentimes dark. It's like entering a different world just by looking at the paintings, the characters.

Massive Black Volume 1 has managed to put a smile of art lust and fascination on my face. It's highly recommended for concept artists, art directors, video game art lovers and people who just like good art.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Here's a nostalgic book authored by Amy Weinstein, a curator. She has collected a great amount of children books published by McLoughlin Brothers. There are many classics like Mother Goose, Tom Thumb and other less well known stories. Right at the start is an introduction to McLoughlin Brothers and the history of children books.

The illustrations are collected in the book, with captions. Children books in the past has a very unique artistic style, with respect to colouring and penciling. Throughout the book, the captions also explain the various influences on the books, such as the appearance of flags to show patriotism.

This book will serve as a useful reference for artists into children illustrations.

Visit the link beside to read more reviews on Amazon. If you buy from the link, I get a little commission that helps me get more books for review.